White Odell Beckham Jerseys , broached a topic that no media outlet had ever previously addressed with Beckham — possibly because most reporters realize that the answer to the question isn’t relevant. But Beckham didn’t seem to mind it. In fact, it almost seemed as if he wanted to talk about rumors regarding his sexuality.Here’s the first question, verbatim: “There was a period of time when a lot of gossip sites — specifically black gossip sites — would constantly say that you were closeted. They’d call you ‘excited’ in a hot-tub photo with your teammates or simply just say you’re gay. How’d that make you feel?”“I’ve never had an opportunity to talk about this,” Beckham said in response. “Honestly wasn’t offended. I’ve never once had no problem with anybody who has their own personal life that they live. I have friends who are gay. It was almost more funny to me. I almost messed with them even more. It’s like when someone gives me an ultimatum, I’m usually always going to go to the opposite way of what you want me to go. So when they would say that, I would almost mess with them even more. I have no problem with anyone’s sexual orientation.”Beckham doesn’t say whether he’s gay, although his response implies he’s not. But he also wasn’t asked that question, and he shouldn’t have been. Again, it’s irrelevant. But, again, he’s not offended by speculation that may have contributed to the slurs that reportedly were directed at him before and during a fateful game against the Panthers in December 2015. However, he does seem to be bothered by the fact that black media sites and the black community spend so much time wondering about his personal habits.“It was just a lose-lose,” Beckham said. “They’d see me with a white woman and be like, ‘Why don’t you be with any sisters?’ I have no problem with any race. Love is love. If you’re attracted to somebody Odell Beckham Jerseys 2019 , you’re attracted to somebody. There was such a stigma built up, [as though] I don’t like my own women. It’s like, no, I don’t like anybody who annoys me. . . .“Yes, it makes it worse when it comes from the black community. I feel like everything is a double standard. You want us to support the black community, and then you go out and bash black people for being happy. So someone can’t be happy, someone can’t be dancing. ‘Oh, he’s always around guys, he’s never around girls.’ I just don’t want you to see what woman I’m with, and I don’t want you in my personal life. I always try to keep my personal life my personal life. I feel like I don’t owe that to anybody.”He’s right about that, but this issue is another example of the mixed signals that routinely come from Beckham. On one hand, he’ll talk openly about personal matters. On the other hand, he’ll complain about people focusing on personal matters.Five years since he became an NFL superstar, Beckham still doesn’t seem to understand that seeking attention (such as White Saquon Barkley Jerseys , for example, submitting to a lengthy interview with ) comes with the reality that attention may lead to scrutiny. The only way to maximize privacy is to be genuinely and totally private; sitting for interviews with ESPN or or anyone else strips away some of that privacy, and sets the stage for fans and media to react to the things he says in those settings.And that’s the one thing Beckham and plenty of other star athletes have yet to realize. Sports and society have become increasingly polarized; anyone who stands up and gets noticed is going to draw not only praise, but also criticism.Giants at Lions, preseason Week 2: 5 questions and answers about the Detroit Lions The New York Giants, after three days of practicing against them, face the Detroit Lions on Friday in a preseason game (7 p.m. ET/NFL Network, WNBC). Jeremy Reisman of SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit provided us with practice reports [Day 1 | Day 2] this week. So, we turn to Jeremy for our weekly “5 questions” segment.Ed: First, thank you so much for the practice reports this week. They were a huge help. After watching the Giants for a few days what is your overall, perhaps “high-level” impression of this Giants team?Jeremy: While it’s hard to glean anything from two sets of practices with no live tackling and a walk-through, I came away thinking more of this Giants team than I did after their Week 2 matchup last season. The defensive line looks fierce and is the clear strength of this roster. I feel like that should carry what should be a pretty average offense with the potential of being slightly above average.My reasoning for thinking the Giants will just be average on offense is because outside of Odell Beckham Jr. (who, admittedly, looks as good as ever) Saquon Barkley Jerseys 2019 , I didn’t see any standout skill players. Obviously, Saquon Barkley didn’t give it a go during practice and he can be a game-changer, but we’ll see. Also, any time Ereck Flowers is in your starting lineup, there should be significant anxiety for your quarterback’s health. Ed: Personally, I’m really interested in Tyrell Crosby. He is a player I had targeted as a tackle prospect I thought would help the Giants. The Lions drafted him. How has he done thus far?Jeremy: Crosby is already considered the Lions’ third best offensive tackle on the team, which is both a testament to his talent and the Lions’ lack of depth at the position. He’s been pretty impressive in training camp, but he had a rocky preseason debut. Part of the reason for that disconnect is likely the talent he’s going up against. The Raiders defensive line depth is much better than the Lions’. Still, Detroit feels they got a steal in Crosby, nabbing him in the fifth round, and although he isn’t expected to start this year, many believe he is a long-term contender for Detroit’s starting right tackle position. Evan EngramVincent Carchietta-USA TODAY SportsEd: If you could take one offensive and one defensive player off the Giants roster and put him in Detroit’s lineup, who would they be? Why?Jeremy: On offense, I would probably take Evan Engram. The Lions’ tight end corps is looking for some answers after giving up on Eric Ebron last year White Phil Simms Jerseys , and the trio of Michael Roberts, Luke Willson and Levine Toilolo hasn’t given much reason for optimism. I like Engram’s athleticism and I think the young tight end could build on an impressive rookie year this season. Defensively, please give me Damon Harrison. Seriously, I’ll do anything. Okay, not that. Get your mind out of the gutter, Ed. Snacks is the kind of player you have to game plan around, and the Lions defensive line just doesn’t have a guy like that, unless Ezekiel Ansah suddenly proves he can stay healthy for more than a week at a time. Detroit has already showed some issues defending the run this preseason, and Harrison would put a quick end to that problem. Ed: Give us some under-the-radar players Giants fans might not know much about, but are likely to notice on Friday night?Jeremy: Wide receiver Teo Redding has been your prototypical camp darling through the first couple weeks. He underwhelmed in the preseason opener, but 6-foot-1 receiver has the athleticism to go up and snag the ball away from shorter cornerbacks. Additionally, tight end Hakeem Valles had an excellent string of practices against the Giants this week and could make a huge impact during the second half of Friday’s game. Raj Mehta-USA TODAY SportsEd: There are many fans who wanted Matt Patricia to be the Giants head coach. What are your impressions of Patricia thus far?Jeremy: When the sexual assault allegations from 20 years ago were unearthed, it understandably fractured the fanbase. Off-field stuff aside, I like the idea of Matt Patricia. In a lot of ways Phil Simms Jerseys 2019 , he’s the opposite of Jim Caldwell. Instead of the conservative old-school thinker, Patricia is a guy who is always adapting, always adjusting his schemes and is just a really smart dude. Though his press conferences are always extremely short on useful news, they’re typically entertaining to listen to, because you can tell just how much this guy knows about the game. I’m not that concerned about the poor track record of New England Patriots assistants-turned-head coaches, seeing as he already has a built-in rapport with general manager Bob Quinn (they worked aside each other for over a decade in New England). That being said, Patricia has quite the task ahead of him, and I’m reserving full judgment until I see some actual results.